Wilted
by Bell Marilli
Summary: He was like a wilted flower, and it was her fault that she hadn't been watering him properly. [BraixenxFrogadier]
1. My Fault

**A/N:** Well, Magic Thief is ending, so I can start a new story! :D I wanted this one out before I ended Magic Thief so you readers can not be so bored.

Well, on with it!

* * *

_**Present**_

Rain drops hitting the ground. Rustling bushes. Twigs breaking. Panting. Breathing. Sobs concealed by the rain.

The small figure hidden in a hooded cloak ran through the woods, broken, hurt, dejected, terrified. This was her fault. Everything was her fault. If only she could convince them she would be able to handle it. But she didn't. She was stupid and too terrified to even object. She went along with it. And they would only end up hurting themselves.

They would only end up hurting him...

The Braixen threw back her hood, before stumbling into a clearing, gasping as the rain drops hit her _hard_. She never liked the rain. She hated it. Being a Fire-type, it was natural. She sobbed into her paws, tears concealed by the rain, pulling the hood over her head and wrapping the cloak around herself. It was terribly cold, but that didn't matter.

_Why did I have to be so stupid?_

Blindly following them, just because majority of them hated him, she followed them, thinking they might be right, hesitating, pondering. The ones who hadn't despised him had urged her to follow what she thought was right; in the end, she pushed them aside, she ended up becoming this mess, ended up having nothing left, ended up hurting practically everyone around her.

_"Just do what you think is right!"_

_"Don't you... love him?"_

_"Why are you following them? They're not you!"_

_"Stop it. You don't want this."_

Their advice came pouring down on her, and the only thing she did was _ignore_ them. After they tried everything, believing she could do it, the Braixen had just pushed them all aside. She clutched her head, shaking it wildly, protesting mentally. The last shriek came crashing down on her, _hard_.

_"You're going to **kill** him, Diana!"_

"I didn't want _any_ of this to happen," she cried softly, attempting to wipe away her tears. "I didn't think this would happen... I—I thought... m-maybe they were right... they weren't..._ I'm sorry_!"

"Even if you're sorry, _none_ of this will just _rewind_."

Diana's breathing stopped. Horrified, she looked across the clearing. There _he_ was. She scrambled backwards, her back hitting a tree. She was too terrified to run. She gulped. Nothing was going to work. She stayed put, looking as he hopped forward, bleeding, but frowning, completely alive.

"I-I know it can't just r-rewind!" she yelled, voice cracking, stammering. "I'm just... You just..."

"Well, I'm glad you know only Dialga can do that," the Frogadier mocked sarcastically, stopping in his tracks. "Because only _you_ can make the following decision. You're aware of that, right?"

"You're b-bleeding," Diana muttered. Something sparked within her mind and she flicked her head up, her eyes meeting his. "Did you fight them? What did you do to them? If you hurt _any_ of them—"

"That's a silly question, don't you think so? Of _course_ I hurt them!" he screeched back at her.

Immediately losing all her confidence, she looked back on the ground. "...Did you kill any of them?"

The Frogadier snorted. "No."

"Did you spare any of them?"

"A few. The ones who supported me. They advised you. Why _didn't_ you stop to think about what they were saying? Azure was boiling mad, Skrette was sobbing. Didn't you even think what they were telling you was right?"

"How did you know about t-that one?" Diana asked, looking up.

"They told me. Skrette was upset. She kept saying things like 'why didn't she trust us' and stuff like that. Azure just wanted to chop off everyone's head. And then there's _you_, who pathetically runs when she knows that it's only a matter of time!" the Frogadier snarled.

Diana trembled, tears spilling out again. "I-I thought it was right! They didn't... They wanted... The entire village—"

"—hated me?" the Frogadier finished. "Well, of course they did, seeing as how Greninja are never respected. But you didn't hate me, did you?"

"O-Of course not!" Diana protested. She wiped her eyes, standing up, legs shaking. "You—I—You _know_ I love you, but you wouldn't... _I_ wouldn't... I thought that if..." She bit her bottom lip, shaking her head.

"Thought that if what?" he challenged.

"That if they managed to drive you out... t-that you would find a village that respected Greninja, and would f-find someone else... better than..." Diana whimpered, crouching down again, looking at the ground. "I'm sorry, Flint. I didn't mean it."

"You didn't mean it, but you sure did do it!" Flint snapped. "And now all we have to do is just wait for those stupid villagers to come crawling to us and to get beaten down by me. Unless you think of something, that is."

Diana made her way—wobbling all the while—to where Flint was, knelt down, and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Flint—even if that doesn't turn back time."

It all began a few months ago...


	2. Pity for the Prisoner

**A/N:** If anyone is confused about the first chapter: I was aiming for the confused effect, so don't worry about it.

* * *

_**Past**_

"Diana!"

The Raichu sped up after the Braixen and screeched to a halt as Diana chewed on her meal. "What is it, Skrette?" she asked, tilting her head, taking another bite as Skrette slapped her forehead with her paw, exasperated.

"Haven't you heard?"

"Of what?"

Another slap.

"The woods," Skrette replied exasperatedly, rubbing her brown-tipped paw against her cheek. "Azure was yapping about it. Didn't you hear? Apparently there's something 'dangerous' in the woods, so they're guarding it and no one can enter!"

Diana gawked, spitting out the half-chewed meat that landed sloppily on the grass. "What? But they can't do that!" she yelled, before covering her mouth sheepishly and shaking her head. "I mean, if—if they're doing that, where will the little Pokemon's playground be?"

Skrette shrugged, a glint sparking in her eye. "But if we know what's 'dangerous'... Why don't we sneak in?" she asked in a hushed tone. "After all, they're not stopping us! We'll decide whether it's dangerous by ourselves!"

The Braixen shook her head. "No, no way, Skrette. Unlike you and Azure, I don't share your insanity. I'm out of it. We'll be in gigantic trouble if we get caught, you know. I don't even want _you_ in trouble, so drop the idea!"

Rolling her eyes, Skrette looked at the woods, then back at Diana, then smiled brightly. "I know! Let's play a game!" she suggested, tilting her head and blinked at Diana childishly, innocently. "If there's nothing 'dangerous' in the woods, and we don't get caught, then you'll have to do as we say for the rest of the week! If there is something 'dangerous', and we get caught, then we'll do what you say for the week. If there is nothing 'dangerous' and we get caught, or vice versa, we'll just go on our own normal ways."

"And if I say no?" Diana said, thinking of doing that, standing up and ignoring Skrette.

"Then," Skrette replied, in a sing-song voice, as if saying _I've got you trapped_, "we'll have to suppose you're just a coward, huh? The village doesn't really appreciate cowards, does it..?"

"Augh!" Irritated, Diana spun around, folding her arms. "Fine! Fine, I'll go..."

"Great job, Diana! See you there at night!"

"Why night?" Diana asked, but Skrette was already skipping away.

* * *

"Why did I agree again..?" Diana asked weakly, looking between Skrette and Azure, the Azumarill. She sighed, looking around the woods. A bunch of Lucario were stationed just outside. "How are we gonna sneak in?"

"The power of Digging is wonderful," Azure replied. "Skrette and I will Dig to inside the woods, you just go and talk to the Lucario and ask 'em about why it's being blocked and stuff. Skrette will stay on the other side while I'll go and fetch you."

"Fine..." Diana sighed, walking forward tiredly, hearing them burrow into the ground. She tiptoed over to the guards.

One of them noticed. "HEY! Don't you go sneaking in, you fox!" he barked.

Diana jerked and faced them, bowing. "I'm not going in," she said placidly. "I wish to ask a question."

"Yes?" another one asked, seemingly interested now.

"What is so... 'dangerous' about the woods? If it's so dangerous, why do they not just set up psychic barriers?"

"Can't do that, drains too much energy. And it's dangerous because there's an evil being inside! Now leave!"

"Of course you can subdue it..." Diana muttered, backing away. "I'll be going now..."

Backtracking to the spot she had been at just now, she nibbled her bottom lip, anxiously waiting. Azure popped up and dragged Diana down the hole, tunneling through the underground passage speedily. Once on the other side, she popped up, grinning as she pointed to the guards outside. Diana glared at them slightly, before shoving her way through the bushes.

Perking, one of the guards said loudly, "Did you hear... some bushes rustling?"

Another guard nodded. "Heard it. Must be that pesky toad. Just leave 'im alone."

_Toad?_ Diana thought, looking over her shoulder. Skrette made a "Shh!" gesture and the Braixen nodded, quietly pushing her way through the bushes. She tried not to step and break twigs, and not to get stuck in the thorny brambles. She grimaced as she felt a twig snapping under her weight and froze. Azure and Skrette stopped behind her. The guards did nothing. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Diana continued, turning left and right sometimes.

She stumbled into a clearing unexpectedly. "W-Whoa!" she screeched, landing on the grass. She covered her mouth, before scrambling into the bushes quickly, hiding. The guards began yelling.

"It's just the stupid toad, you idiots!" one of them yelled. "Calm down! And you, stupid frog, stop freaking the fellows out, or you'll be enclosed in the clearing _only_! Now keep quiet and sleep, boy!"

"They're imprisoning something," Azure whispered, frowning. "Maybe nothing is dangerous—they're jailing someone here!"

"Smooth move just now, Diana," Skrette hissed sarcastically, belly pressed flat against the ground. "Move into the clearing—now!"

Diana gritted her teeth and forced herself out of the clump of leaves and rolled abruptly into the clearing. She made sure not to make any screams as she waited for Skrette and Azure to crawl out of the bush.

She froze when she heard bushes rustling—and Azure and Skrette were out already.

"W-Who's there?" she asked, alarmed, soft enough for the guards not to hear. "W-We just—"

"Get out..."

Diana flinched, nearly screaming, but held it back in her throat, scrambling back to the fearless Azure as the aqua rabbit skipped forward, knocking on the tree three times. Someone sniffed, before a webbed foot came out from behind the tree.

The Frogadier miserably flopped on the ground.

Diana screamed this time.

"_Shut up_!" Skrette hissed, smacking Diana. The Lucario outside made their way through the forest. "See?! They're coming now! Ugh!"

"D-Don't come any closer!" the Frogadier yelled. The guards froze in place. "I—I just hit my head against the tree! I'm fine! Go away!"

"I'd keep quiet if I were you, boy!"

"I'm _fine_! I'm not trying to break out!"

The guards quickly went back into position, and the Frogadier glanced at them. "I've saved you this time. You better leave, now!"

Diana ignored his words. "What are you doing here? Are you the supposed 'danger' of the forest?" she demanded, folding her arms, attempting to look intimidating. "Why are they trapping you here? Did you do... anything?" The thought of being in a clearing with a mass murderer terrified her, and her confidence crumbled.

"I didn't. They just imprisoned me here. They just..." The Frogadier didn't bother to continue and paced around.

He was horribly skinny.

"Are they feeding you?" Skrette asked, tilting her head.

"They are."

"With what?" Diana butted in stubbornly.

"An Oran Berry," the Frogadier replied, sighing. "Look—if you get caught, you're going to get thrown in here. I'm not sure how you got in, but it's best for you to leave and never return because there's nothing else in the woods. They just say it's dangerous when they don't have a prison—and they don't want to say it's a prison or the villagers will complain that they should just build their own prison."

"An Oran Berry? For _one_ day?"

"Yes."

"_Shit_!" Azure cursed, shaking her head. She opened her satchel and plonked a bag of berries in front of him. "Eat it. You'll die of starvation otherwise. No, I don't care if you're a prisoner, no one deserves this treatment."

The Frogadier shrank at Azure's firmness. "W-Well... okay, fine. Thank you. Now it's best you leave right now. I'm serious."

Diana sighed, brushing herself. "My name's Diana," she said. Azure shot her a _you are not going there_ look but Diana ignored it. "She's Azure and that's Skrette. What's yours?"

"Flint," the Frogadier replied uncertainly.

"We'll leave now," Skrette said, "but we'll definitely come back again. What leaders of the village are doing now makes me—_grr_!" Unable to express her fury in words, she made a _very_ discontented sound.

"Don't!" Flint shrieked. "I'm fine!" he yelled to the guards. "Don't come back. They'll—They'll catch you and you'll be here too."

"Are you underestimating my guts?" Azure scoffed. "I'll beat them back to their eggshells. So, I don't care. We're coming back, and that's that. Have to make sure you get food. All right, we'll head back now."

They walked back to their hole to get back. They didn't say anything, just trying to find their way through the darkness. Any light would alert the Lucario outside. They managed to get back home safely, and they, being housemates, went back into the same house.

Skrette was basically the big mommy of the house, and Azure being the maid, and Diana being the spoiled little girl of it.

Whatever. Housemates were good.

Skrette said goodnight to Diana before leaving to make Azure sleep. As Diana snuggled into bed, she thought about the prisoner.

She only felt pity for him, right now.

* * *

**A/N:** I suppose since I'm writing this chapter because I'm not going to post the oneshot today, since I'm too lazy to actually think of something. If something magical hits me, _maybe_ the oneshot will come out.

(Or maybe not.)


	3. Frightening Truth

**A/N:** Welp, I didn't tell you guys, rather I _couldn't_, MY LAPTOP BROKE DOWN. And that's not even the entire story. SO DID MY PHONE. Gosh, that stupid thing is only one month old, and _now_ it's breaking down, and I can't do a shit on it. Seriously. Why does my life suck so much.

* * *

They had agreed to meet Flint at night, even though Diana was definitely scared they would get caught. Skrette probably forgot about the bet entirely because she didn't bother to order Diana around. The Braixen could be grateful for that, but reentering the forest? Did they have a death wish? But she would be dragged along, otherwise Skrette and Azure would do something so terrible it would blow your mind, and even _I_ can't think of a suggestion, so let's just move on.

"Stop _slurping_!" Skrette snapped. Diana started, looking right through Skrette's glare. Diana frowned, looking back at her soup, pushing it to the center of the table and flicking her head the other way. Skrette snarled, but Azure immediately caught on.

"What's wrong?" she demanded, not in the worried kind of way, but the _you better tell me now miss_ manner. The Braixen bit on her tongue, absolutely despising that tone, which also included _I will force it out of you if you don't tell me_. It was the tone that only Azure could produce, despite being the adorable fluffy aqua bunny. It was crazy. But it worked for Azure, and affected everyone.

"Noth—Pft." Diana was about to deny it when she decided it was hopeless. Azure seemed pretty satisfied Diana didn't bother to lie. "It's just... Do we _have_ to go and visit Flint again? I do pity him, but don't you find it dangerous? I mean... I'm not saying... I'm not saying what we're doing is wrong—I mean, it _is_ wrong! There is absolutely no reason for us to risk ourselves to go and save one soul."

"I thought I raised you better than that!" Skrette sniffed, pushing the bowl of soup back to Diana. Reluctantly, Diana grabbed the spoon and scooped a spoonful of soup and shoved it into her mouth. "Well, what they're doing is stupid. We just gotta ask Flint why he's in the woods, then if we decide he's done something really bad then we'll abandon him, 'kay? But if he's completely innocent, or didn't do anything wrong, then we'll continue visiting him. And, yes, we have to do it. We're nice people."

Diana stared at Skrette, tilting her head in frustration. Azure glared at her slightly, nodding towards her soup. The Braixen bared her teeth and stood up, pushing her bowl of soup over, causing the liquid to splatter all over the table. Skrette gawked at the messy table, before her head shot up and she glared at Diana, about to open her mouth and form a string of disciplinary words, when Diana beat her to it.

"I'm not saying we're not nice people, but do we _really_ have to _risk_ ourselves? Can't we just leave him alone? We barely know who he is! I mean, I'm not... I wouldn't _ever_ jail someone in the woods—it's a lot of children's playground, you know!—but I wouldn't risk myself. Why are you dragging _me_ along, anyways?! It's not like I'm good at this sneaking-in thing! Can you just—Couldn't you just—I don't understand you guys! I'm _not_ going, and that's that!"

"Diana, _**sit down right now**_!"

The sudden yell from Azure made Diana jerk, her confidence crumbling like a brick wall being hit by a bomb. She plopped down on the chair, slouching, staring between Skrette and Azure. The Azumarill was steaming in her seat quietly, the livid aura leaking off of her like a new puddle spreading to other places. Skrette had gotten out of her seat and looked for a wet cloth to wipe the table.

Diana basically shrunk in her seat, biting her bottom lip so furiously it bled. Skrette began wiping the table. Azure scooped a spoonful of soup and shoveled it into her mouth, not saying a word. Moments like these plainly read out, "This business is serious, shut up and think about it.". Diana shuddered, crossing her arms and looking away. She felt so stupid. Why did she have to go and say all those stupid stuff?

Skrette eventually sat back down and sighed. "Diana, you're going, okay—"

"_Bullshit_," Azure snarled. "Don't be nice with her. She knows she's completely wrong—I don't think it's wrong to let her know that."

"Azure, keep quiet," Skrette muttered back, glaring halfheartedly. "We're having pretty much a rough moment right now—would be nice if you would a tad nicer. Nobody is mean right now. Got it?"

"Got it," Azure replied back irritatedly. She continued to drink her soup in silence.

"Diana, I do think you should go cool down outside," Skrette said, sighing and rubbing her own forehead. "It's gonna be a pretty rough day today, and you're going to need as much fresh air as possible. I'll handle Azure's temper right now. Just leave before Azure can't stand the sight of you."

Diana didn't need to hear that twice. She grabbed her messenger bag and dashed out of the house, flinging open the door and leaving it that way. Shortly after, she heard some yelling and screeching and some panicked voice from inside the house. Her legs moved faster than ever, but eventually crumpled as she fell forward, her face smacking hard onto the ground.

"...Hello? Are you all right there?" a voice asked softly. Diana's head shot up as she wiped her face, dirt being slowly washed away with tears.

She didn't understand! She didn't understand, _at all_, how she could be so heartless! She couldn't not go! If _she_ were in Flint's place, she'd be begging for company. She sniffed, shaking her head, murmuring almost inaudible "go away"s, but the other creature didn't go away. At all. Diana almost got up and started running again, but she couldn't find the strength in her legs and sat there stupidly.

Eventually, Diana decided to speak, if the creature wasn't going away. "G-Get out of my way..." she murmured non-threateningly, legs wobbling like jelly as she pushed herself up, attempting to stand as she staggered and gazed at the silver-furred fox.

"I can't help you with that one," the shiny Ninetales replied. "Did something happen? If something did, then tell me. C'mon."

"I don't tell things to strangers..." Diana muttered, walking forward, rolling her eyes as the silver-furred fox leapt after her. "Hey. Quit following me, will you..? I already told you I won't tell you anything... Now go."

"Well, my name is Pepper. See, you know my name now!" the shiny Ninetales exclaimed as she jumped next to Diana. "That means I'm not a stranger anymore, am I? Plus, I just want to cheer you up, y'know. What's wrong with that? Is there a new law, 'no cheering strangers up', that I'm not aware of? Please! I can barely _breathe_ at the thought of that!"

"Diana," the Braixen replied grumpily, feeling her legs regain its firmness. "Well... I suppose... Maybe you might be a bit of help. Maybe you'd know..."

Pepper grinned, satisfied at her achievement. "Right! Ya see that log over there? Let's sit there! Then you can tell me without getting tired, and getting tired is the last thing I want."

Diana sat down on the bench, looking at the grassy ground. Pepper laid down beside her, nodding eagerly. The Braixen sighed, folding her knees, wrapping her arms around them.

"Well..."

... ... ...

And by the time she was done, Pepper just looked astounded, before a look of worry crossed over her face. She growled softly. "Hey! I agree with you! Better not visit that Frogadier! He's danger—plain danger! Everyone knows why he's in there, and we all don't care about 'em! They bring us... nothing but trouble!"

"Really? You know why he's in there? Tell me!" Diana begged. "I gotta know why! If I do, maybe I can reason with Azure, and she'll spare me—better yet, we'll just forget about all of it—!" She paused. She was being terrible again. Pressing her paws to absorb the tears, and smiled at Pepper to cover it up. The silver-furred fox didn't notice any of that.

"You wanna know why? 'Kay, I suppose no harm telling you. To put it straight, that little Frogadier is gonna evolve into a Greninja, whether he likes it or not."

"Yes, that's true!" Diana nodded. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You're really clueless," Pepper snorted. "Well, Greninja are hated around these parts! I can understand. They're terrible and horrible beings that _should not_ exist, because of their cruelty! I won't stand for it."

Diana gritted her teeth. Pepper wasn't answering straightly. "So? Why are they hated? What have they done to us?"

Pepper tossed her head, looking at the sky. "They're ninjas, they're fast, they even rival a Talonflame's speed. We could live with that speedy factor, but they use it cruelly! They like to toy with others by confounding them with speed, then attacking them while the target is confused! This could be easily countered with a lucky hit, which is just running around in circles and attacking."

The Braixen flinched, eyes widening. "That's... They're just mean, they're not that cru—"

"There's more, darling!" Pepper informed, leaping off from her perch and spinning all nine tails and frowning. "They kidnap Pokemon—they're terrible! They kidnap Pokemon and either demand a ransom or just dump them in a rubbish dump."

"You're—You're _kidding_," Diana spluttered, choking on her own words. Her eyes widened as Pepper glared straight forward, shaking her head firmly. "No—you _are_ kidding! There's no way you're being truthful! Are they _all_ kidnappers?"

"Most of them will become kidnappers. I don't think this Flint you talk about won't become rotten! You're better off without him in your life, sweetie," Pepper snorted. "Well, my mate's coming soon, so that's all I can tell ya, Diana."

Diana slumped in her seat, staring at the ground in utter disbelief. Soon, an Arcanine named Pyres soon came. Apparently, Pepper was... ah... _dating_(?) Pyres, and was waiting for him when she came across Diana. The Braixen watched as Pepper spun her tails in a way you might call flirtatiously—or not—and they left for some place Diana couldn't bother to remember.

Seven minutes later, Diana pulled herself together, snatching her messenger bag and running back to her house. They needed to know this. They needed to know all of this. He would become dangerous. He would become cruel.

Or... would he?


	4. Horrifying Realization of the Beginning

Skrette had managed to calm Azure's wildness down by the time Diana got back, but the Braixen insisted on worrying them and spilled everything she had heard. Despite all that, Skrette still insisted on visiting him. She claimed that Flint wasn't like that right now, so they had no reason to be scared. Diana tried to protest, but faltered when she thought about how heartless she was being again, and Azure seized the opportunity to drag her along to the woods at night. Diana reluctantly gave in and followed them, but insisted on being the last. She was eventually put in the middle, Azure being the last, so Diana couldn't run away and do something stupid. Diana would allow that one.

The woods seemed creepier than before, or maybe Diana was just being silly again. She was about to suddenly break down and cry when they reached the clearing, but upon seeing the pitiful, peaceful, well-mannered and starved Frogadier, she couldn't bring herself to yap anything bad in front of his face. They just sat down and watched as Flint wolfed up the meat and berries Azure had brought. They'd quietly discuss things, and Diana found herself listening more than she'd intended to.

Sighing, Diana covered her face slightly, glancing at Flint nervously, feeling her heart thunder against her ribcage, feeling like spitting out some harsh, cruel words and running away. She sighed, before folding her arms over her knees, interrupting their somewhat boring conversation with a question of her own.

"W-What was life like before you were captured?"

As if surprised she would talk, Flint blinked at her slowly. Skrette seemed pretty surprised (and impressed) that Diana had bothered to take any interest in his life, but Azure seemed plain annoyed she interrupted their conversation. Slightly embarrassed from all the attention, the Braixen ducked her head in an attempt to say _all right, go away, just continue your conversation, just ignore what I asked_, but they clearly didn't get the message.

After what seemed like hours, Flint finally replied. "Well, um... harsh, I suppose."

"H-Harsh?" Diana looked up, spluttering, looking at him skeptically. "W-What part of being a k-kidnapper is _h-harsh_? Huh? M-Maybe you have a h-harsh time deciding w-who you k-kidnap—"

"Look, I don't know _where_ you heard we kidnap others from, but my family wasn't like that," Flint interrupted, glowering at her. Diana stared back blankly. "We had a tough time living because everyone assumed we were like the rest—'evil', they say, 'kidnappers', they say. We managed to hide from society for a long time. Until now, that is."

"H-Huh?"

"They found our house and, well, I don't know what they did with my parents—they're probably dead, they're Greninja already—but they had to dump me in the forest because apparently I wasn't 'evil' yet and they can't execute non-evil people. That's why I'm stuck here until I evolve, or die of starvation. But I'll never evolve, there's no training to do, so... it's the latter, I suppose, but it's going to be hard dying with you guys around."

"I'll take that as a compliment!" Skrette said brightly, grinning. "We'll get you out of here—I mean, that is, considering if you don't go rotten... and you'll have a hard time living out here, y'know. Uh... it's kinda hard to decide what we should do with you... I mean... you... we can't hide you in our house—we could, actually, but there's not a lot of space..."

"I'm fine staying here," Flint replied sulkily. "Well, there. You know _my_ past and how I'm not evil. Now you can't blame me for anything. My parents have done _nothing_ wrong, and they've been killed unjustly."

"We don't know for sure they were killed," Azure said optimistically.

"Would you—Would you be a bit more realistic? Reality is harsh for Greninja," Flint snapped back. "But if you want to think it that way, why don't you ask the officers? Just ask them if they've executed any Greninja lately."

Diana stayed quiet as they chattered on about random, pointless things. It felt time to go home, and Flint noticed this. Azure yawned, hopping to her feet with Skrette. "We're going back now—see ya!"

"Hang on a second!" Flint shook his head. "How do you intrude into the forest without any problems?"

"We Dig," Skrette replied simply, using her brown-tipped paws to make digging motions. "We Dig from a far spot where they can't see us, and exit from the same area. That's how."

"Hmm," Flint mused. "It seems reliable, but I have something to show you. Follow me."

Stepping out of the clearing for the first time Diana had seen, Flint raced towards the mountain that part of the forest grew on. Diana followed, being the last, and after a while of running, they met a spring. The Braixen stared at it, tilting her head.

"I'll be uh, here, from now on, 'cause there's water... and stuff. The clearing was a nice place, but this... is nicer, I suppose," Flint said nervously. "If it's not too much trouble for you, that is. Just enter from the west side, it'll be quite short."

"No problem," Skrette said primly, head flicking to the left. "Should we exit from there, then?"

"Um... yes, you should, it's the fastest way."

"Oh, all right. Thanks for informing us," Azure said, grinning. "Let's go, then."

* * *

"_Hey_!" Spotting the silver-furred fox yet again, Diana raced towards Pepper, smiling in the bright daylight. She flopped down next to Pepper, to which the shiny Ninetales smiled back. "Hi, Pepper!"

"Hi there, Diana. Is life all right? ...Are you avoiding that Frogadier?"

_Not after yesterday night's story, no._ "Uh... no, not yet. Y'know his parents, they were Greninja, but they weren't kidnappers like the rest, so..." Diana clicked her tongue. "They hid from society! But one day, they got busted. They found him, and they trapped him in the woods. They thought he'd turn evil, and his parents were killed, too."

Pepper stared at Diana, unconvinced. "Huh..? You sure he's not lying, Diana? He could be, to make him trust you..."

"I don't think so," Diana replied easily. "Besides, Skrette and Azure are there!"

"Huh." Unconvinced, Pepper turned away. "He's nothing but danger, so be careful. Anyways, what did you say to him? Anything that I can give you help on?" The silver-furred fox was determined to let Diana free of this danger, because no one deserved it. Diana, completely oblivious to it, blinked and stared blankly out to the open. Pepper growled softly. _He's nothing but trouble, I can already see it._

"I didn't say much when we met him... I only accused him of being a child of kidnappers." Diana sighed. "I don't like being around him. Makes me feel weird."

"_Weird_," Pepper echoed. Her eyes blinked. _No way._ "Could you describe that feeling to me?"

Diana shot her an evil look. "Describe? It's an indescribable feeling, y'know! Not everything has an explanation for it. Jeez. Buzz off."

The silver-furred fox gawked. _Indescribable? No. Freaking. Way._ "I suggest you cut all ties with him right now, dearie," Pepper warned. "Y'know, though I don't like taking sides, my mate... he's, well, he wants all Greninja gone. The sooner he's out of your life, the better. Besides, the longer you stay with him, the more you'll..." Ducking her head in embarrassment, Pepper growled to herself.

The Braixen sighed and hugged her knees, replaying Pepper's incomplete sentence. _"Besides, the longer you stay with him, the more you'll..."_ Get into trouble, maybe? Shaking her head and sighing, Diana looked at the shiny Ninetales, who looked terrified. "It's all right, Pepper. It _is_. I won't get into trouble, if that's what you meant."

"It's not what I meant! It's... well, you..." Sighing, Pepper rested her head on her paws. "Have you ever been in love?"

"What kind of stupid question is that? _No_."

"Poor you," Pepper mourned. "Poor, poor you, Diana."

Diana blinked, not knowing what Pepper meant at all. But Pepper noticed. It had begun, and she was sure Diana would not escape in one piece. It was already confirmed that she would get tangled into this mess.

The shiny Ninetales wished she had met Diana earlier, to convince Diana not to meet with him, so it wouldn't begin.

Her liking for him, that is.


	5. How to Tread Water

**A/N:** Just being a little random here. I have my phone back, so review replies via PM will be faster, 'cause then I can do it on my phone.

I went to some shopping mall and saw some "Bananas in Pajamas" merchandise. The memories.

* * *

Diana was arguably bored.

Skrette was out grocery shopping, and Azure was out to watch some sumo-wrestling... thing. The Braixen was one to stay at home, one to just talk and do nothing else. She had tried chatting with Pepper, but the silver-furred fox was (again) out with Pyres.

Leaving her two choices, none of which she was extremely fond of.

The Braixen eventually decided the one with less effort, shooting towards the woods without any second thoughts. She came in from the west side, as she remembered, and even found a little path that _wasn't_ guarded and didn't require any Digging. To that, she could be grateful. She hurried into the woods, holding a paw to her mouth as she coughed slightly, and slowed when she heard the familiar gushing of water.

When she arrived there, it was empty. Diana sighed, wondering where Flint had wandered off to. "...Flint?" she called uncertainly, unsure whether she should turn back or not.

The sound of water splashing was enough for her to make her stay put. She watched as the Frogadier lazily surfaced from the spring, looking around before spotting Diana, who wasn't very near the spring in the first place. He made an expression that could have been surprise, but definitely not anything negative. Timidly, Diana approached Flint and sat down on one of the many rocks.

"Why did you decide to randomly come here?" Flint asked, watching as she stared blankly into the waters of the spring.

"There's... nothing else to do," Diana replied bluntly, turning her attention to him. "It's all boring back there, so I might as well visit and check that you're not attempting suicide."

"I wouldn't," Flint said defensively. "So you're telling me I'm a last resort."

"Not exactly," Diana admitted unwillingly. "I could have wandered around in the village... but that takes too much effort, plus, it could get boring, too. So you're not technically a last resort, that is, if it helps you sleep better at night."

"...You don't think today feels a little chilly?"

Diana blinked at him, closing her eyes to let herself concentrate on the temperature. Instead of the warm summer, it felt... a little colder, she supposed. Well, generally, not as warm as the summer sun. She could tell that. She bit her tongue. Had autumn come that fast?

"A little. Is it autumn already?" Diana wondered. "Now that you mention it, it's kinda cold. Is the spring water cold, too?"

"Of course." Frowning slightly, Flint noticed her shiver as a colder-than-it-is-already wind breezed past. "You're _that_ cold? Aren't you a Fire-type?"

"I am," Diana confirmed, folding her arms and scoffing. "But my inner fire isn't very strong, so it doesn't keep me very warm. In fact, my species generally doesn't have very good inner fire. You know, a lot of Fire-types attack by _breathing out_ fire, so they have fire inside them, but we just use some twig that magically _doesn't_ burn up, not from inside of us, you know, so we get colder much easier."

Flint seemed to get it, even if he said nothing. Diana sat there, sighing, and watched as he dived down into the spring. Probably got bored of her, she supposed. With half-lidded eyes, the Braixen turned and looked around the woods, a former playground to her. She sighed again, watching as the spring water's calm waves were disrupted when Flint surfaced again.

Diana watched him as he threw something dark brown in color at her. She squawked shrilly and caught it, sure that it would be drenched, but was surprised to find it was _dry_. The Braixen looked at the Frogadier accusingly.

"It's a cloak," Flint said curtly. "To put it in easier words, it'll protect you from the water. And the cold. Useful for Fire-types. Like you."

"...Thanks," she muttered dumbly, not sure what else to do. She threw it around her and clipped the front of it together. He was right—it did feel a lot warmer. She involuntarily grinned before she turned back to him. "You don't need this?"

"What _would_ I need it for? I'm a Water-type. It's practically useless for me," Flint snorted. "You can keep it."

"...Where did you find it from?"

"Didn't find it. You might call it some sort of Greninja heirloom."

"Oh."

As another silence made its way between the two, Diana couldn't help but smile inwardly. This was much more entertaining than sitting around at home and doing nothing. She made a mental note that if she was bored, bugging Flint was the best way to rid of her boredom.

"Well, if you've got not much 'inner fire', so as you claim, then I suppose water isn't as bad for you."

"That's true," the Braixen muttered back. "We're one of the few Fire-types who can actually tolerate swimming. I know how to swim, too, 'cause Azure was always teaching me. I suppose that's something good out of having little inner fire."

"Can you tread water?"

"Nope," Diana replied instantly. "Azumarill float naturally, so Azure doesn't know how to do that. You do, obviously. Mind teaching me?"

"Fine," Flint sighed, going underwater before resurfacing. "Do you want to take off that cloak? It doesn't really matter, since it won't shield you from the water if you're swimming."

Diana blinked, pondering on it for a few seconds, before shaking her head. "Nah, it'll protect me from the cold when my upper half is exposed to the wind. ...Do I just jump in there, or what?"

"Even if you just cannonball inside, I'd still be there to save your sorry self. So it doesn't really matter."

"If it doesn't, then I'll step inside. _Really_ slowly."

* * *

"Dianaaaaaa!" Skrette called, skipping up to Diana's room. It was already evening, and Skrette was _finally_ back. "Hiya, sweetheart! Missed me?"

"Not really," Diana replied, blowing a raspberry at the Raichu. "And _don't_ call me 'sweetheart'. I don't care if you're freaking maternal, _no one_ calls me that."

"I," Skrette said, pointing to herself, "am hurt. So, what did ya do when I was gone? Is Azure back, yet?"

"She's in the shower," Diana responded, shortly opening her closet (which contained only scarves, hats, cloaks and such like, since they don't need to wear proper clothing) and checked that Flint's brown cloak was in there. "You were kinda the last to come home. And I just went to walk around in the village."

For some reason, Diana didn't like the thought of telling them she had gone to see Flint.

Skrette shrugged simply, pretty much uncaring about what Diana actually did. "Well, we're gonna go see Flint later on tonight, m'kay? See ya later, Diana!"

Diana sighed, fingering the dark brown cloak thoughtfully as she recalled the day's events. She had learned how to tread water, even though it was difficult, but now she could enter some floating competition with Azure, who would 100% win because she didn't even need any effort.

For some reason, she was pretty sure she'd end up visiting him in the day again.


	6. Caught Entering the Forbidden

**A/N:** NOTE: pokemon species names now not capitalized, my shift button is a little tricky.

* * *

**[And then she slipped up.]**

**[Really bad.]**

Diana stretched, yawning. They hadn't visited Flint last night, mainly because it was a huge thunderstorm and lightning could potentially _harm_ them, Azure the most, and Diana disliked the rain. The next morning was pretty and wet, though. Diana didn't really like water, but stepping in mushy wet grass was satisfying for her, somehow. And it _always_ smelled nice in the garden after rain. She poked the soft petal of a tall flower and giggled at its softness.

"Are you going somewhere, Diana?" Skrette called, clipping at the weeds with some garden scissors. She was wearing a straw hat, even though there was barely any sunlight. Diana opened her mouth, blinking, before shutting it close, nodding as she took another step. She wrapped Flint's cloak tightly around herself, protecting her from the water dripping off the house's roof.

"Um, yeah—I was going to go see Pepper for a bit," Diana lied, kneeling down beside the raichu, who tossed the weed in her mouth and began chewing. Diana scrunched up her face at that—she never liked the taste of weeds. "Pepper's my new friend. Uh, she's a shiny ninetales. I was gonna meet her near the tree we met then discuss on where to go."

"Really? That's nice. Tell her hi for me."

"Will do."

After she was sure she was out of Skrette's vision, she darted down the path to the woods. It was rocky, as usual, and she sneaked in from the usual path. She paused as she heard footsteps behind her, and she whirled round; there was no one, though. Carefully, she stepped backwards into the woods, narrowing her eyes. This was suspicious.

When she felt she made it in deep enough, she turned around and continued normally towards the spring. The waters were calm, as usual. She smiled a little, knowing that everything was in place.

"Flint?"

At the sound of his name, he popped up, looking around until he found her. Diana smiled uncertainly, tugging on her cloak slightly as she inched towards the spring cautiously. She plopped herself on the same rock and wrapped the cloak against herself tighter.

"So, Skrette and Azure aren't home?" Flint questioned curiously, swimming over to pick a fruit from a bush near the spring. Diana was slightly startled, before she stared at him. And shook her head.

"Um, no, they're home, actually."

"Then why are you here?" A slight pause. "I thought you came here because you were bored."

"I _am_ bored," she protested. "There's always nothing to do at home. And because it's autumn, there aren't the usual summer activities they usually hold in the plaza. And shopping every day gets boring. ...Not that I do it, of course."

"Why don't they have autumn activities?"

"Because they claim summer is the sporty season. But they hold activities in spring and winter too. They say spring is always best for swimming, or anything water-related, and winter... Well, there's snow."

"Ah." Flint seemed to take a while to chew on the fruit, thinking while taking the silence gratefully. "But there's nothing special in autumn?"

"Nope," Diana replied, shaking her head. "Nothing but the pretty scenery and falling leaves. They don't have any sayings for that or anything stupid. They always say it's something related to the wind, but they don't like having any wind-related games because it's dangerous. So it's generally boring."

"...So which is your favorite season?"

Diana thought about it for a while, playing with her cloak to give herself something to do. She hesitated a bit. "Autumn, I suppose."

Flint gave her a look. "I thought you said you didn't like autumn."

"I don't, because it's boring, but it's my favorite." She laughed uneasily, wringing her paws. "That doesn't sound like it makes any sense. To put it simply, I last saw my parents in autumn. Then they left. Never knew where they went, but I was lucky Skrette found me the day they left. She was already with Azure. They were housemates before I arrived. And then life continued from there."

"Shouldn't it be your most _hated_ season, if they left you then?"

"Unlike _you_, I like to think on the bright side. It's when I last saw them." She paused, tilting her head towards him and smiling. "So what's _your_ favorite season?"

* * *

Three o'clock and she was out. She'd been in the woods for five hours. Five. Freaking. Hours. Talking to someone! Actually, she had swam, she had explored the woods, she had eaten the fruits they found, but five hours still seemed a little long. But it still happened! So, be quiet, reader.

"Oh, Diana. Hi." Pepper looked at her from just a few meters away. Diana paused. Pepper's voice, instead of loud and cheerful, was down to more... upset and hesitant. "I've got... something to ask of you. Well, Pyres does."

"Um, well, okay?" The arcanine stepped out. "Oh, hi there, Pyres! What did you want to ask me?"

"Just now," Pyres said, "I followed you into the woods."

She froze. Then she glared at him, paws clenching tightly. "I could—"

She was interrupted. "You could do many things. But, I have an offer."

Pepper made a stressed noise, and seemed to be going in an inner conflict. "Well, actually, Pyres, I'm not sure if it's a good idea, she clearly—I mean, even if she hasn't realized it, she still is—I mean, _you know_, it's going to be hard—"

"Shush. Flint is clearly a thing that is going to become terrible in the future," Pyres began. Diana rolled her eyes, desperately wanting to yell "That's not true!" but held herself back from doing so. "So while we can, we're going to ask you for some... help."

"I will not provide you _any_ help, Pyres, that's all I'm saying." Pepper gave Pyres a _I told you so_ face. He growled at her. "It's not because of what Pepper's saying—whatever she _might_ be saying, anyway—but I won't betray anyone."

"But don't you get it? We want him out. But there's a problem. We have to make him angry. Make him show his cruel side first. And we need you in that. No matter what we try, he always remains stone-faced, but I realized that you can make him snap. Angry. Furious and livid. Violent. _Cruel_, basically." Pyres bared his teeth in a grin. "We need you in that."

"_No_!" Diana burst out, but a tiny bit of her was wavering. "You will not—You will _not_ make me do that."

"But he'll become evil, like all the others! Don't you _know_ how many little children were kidnapped because of _them_? Hundreds! And they were never found, and the ones that _were_ found had to be returned via ransom. We're dealing with this, but we can't kill an innocent pokemon, goes against everything. So, we need you to make in angry."

Diana was arguing with herself by now. "But—But I—You can't expect me to—" She was spluttering in a confused mess by now.

Pepper decided to step in. "Pyres, dear, maybe we should let her decide for a while. She can't take this news in too quickly, can she? We'll leave her be for a while."

Pyres sighed, but nodded. "All right, I can see point in that. I want your decision by next week."

He left, but Pepper insisted on staying behind. She watched as Diana looked at her with a blank look on her face. "Diana?"

"...Yes?"

"What are you going to do?"

Diana bit her bottom lip. "...I don't... I don't know, Pepper. The more I think about it, the more confusing it gets. I don't want to—but what Pyres _does_ make sense. It's like I needed to be _reminded_ that they were cruel before I lost confidence." She prodded her cloak gently, thinking of how... nice Flint was. "But I don't think I should. What do you think, Pepper? What should I do?"

Pepper tilted her head, before smiling gingerly.

"Just do what you think is right!"

* * *

**A/N:** We have a quote from the first chapter _finally_.


	7. Unneeded Guilt

**[And then she began blaming herself for something she didn't do.]**

**[That was why is started.]**

Diana began to feel sick in the stomach whenever she saw Flint after the offer Pyres made. She couldn't identify it at first—she wasn't sure if she ever could. She began acting strangely, couldn't carry a proper conversation between her and Flint, and wasn't sure what to do. He probably expected her daily appearance. But what was she to do? Continue visiting him? But she didn't even... _like_ him in the first place (or did she? The world may never know...). And then, after four days, she recognized the feeling in her stomach.

Guilt.

She wasn't sure why, but she couldn't exactly go up to her emotions and be like "Oh, hi! Can I know why I'm so guilty?", could she? And then, after one day, she realized why—she still hadn't decided whether to deceive him and ultimately kill him or protect him from them.

The braixen yanked open her drawer, rummaging through the many items—handkerchiefs, random balls of yarn, notebooks, diaries—she found the peppermint she had bought two weeks ago, flicked the cover away (to a spot she could reach, of course) and plopped herself into bed, clutching the small metal box containing the strawberry-flavored peppermints, making sure it was hidden from sight. It was about time for their nightly visit. Skrette would come in blabbing any moment.

After two or three minutes, the raichu did come blabbing. "Hey! Diana! We're gonna leave—huh? Are you okay?"

Pulling on her best I-am-sick voice, sniffling at the same time, Diana said, "I—I feel s-sick."

"...Fever?!" The raichu always liked assuming that first all the time. "Thermometer! Azure! Where—is—the—thermometer?!"

As Skrette exited the room, Diana quickly shook the metal box up and down to attempt to get a peppermint out of the small hole. Two finally dropped down, and Diana popped them into her mouth. She tasted the mint, and smiled gingerly, but quickly replaced it with a sick frown when Skrette reentered the room, holding a thermometer meant for mouths (_not_ the ears or anything else—they only had the mouth ones...).

"Here—stick it in your mouth." Diana did as told, shoving the peppermints into the furthest corner of her mouth. After the thermometer went beeping, Skrette pulled it out and gawked at the reading. "Oh, gosh, Diana! You have a _terrible_ fever! Oh, crud... Why is Aunt Jade out of the village of all times?! We still need to visit Flint—the poor thing, I mean—"

"I can call over Pepper."

"Oh! Your ninetales friend, right?! That'd be great! I'll find her for you, don't worry."

After half an hour, Pepper waltzed straight into her room. In that half an hour, Diana had covered the box of peppermints and shoved it back in her drawer. The ninetales looked at Diana sympathetically.

"Get some sleep, okay? Azure and Skrette have left... to do whatever they need to do... so I'll be in the living room if you need be. Or, if something happens, and you can't get out, just, um, scream or something, okay?"

"...Okay." She wouldn't need any of that, anyways. Pepper smiled, then placed the cup of water that she had been gripping in one of her tails onto the bedside table. Diana hadn't noticed Pepper had been doing that. "I'll be—I'll be fine, don't worry."

"Hope so."

Diana wondered how those small, yet deadly, peppermints could fake fevers for a brief moment. Were they specially designed to? Was it an accident? Oh well.

She crawled to stare out of her window. Her house was near the woods, and she could see slightly into it. She saw the lucario guarding it, staying extremely still, and even saw Skrette and Azure do their infiltration thing.

Then she saw Flint.

Looking straight into the window.

Whether he saw her or not—he made no reaction when she stood exposed behind the window—she didn't know, but she shrieked, and collapsed back into her bed, pulling the covers over her head. She felt a fast-paced _thump thump thump_ and felt the door swing open.

"Diana!" the silver-furred fox yelled. "Are you okay?!"

Diana made no effort to reply. She grabbed her pillow and hugged it, muffling her quiet sobs with it.

"Is something wrong?" Calmer that nothing bad in particular was happening, Diana heard Pepper sit on the ground.

"N-No, nothing's wrong, I just..." _...have the guilt eating me inside-out,_ she mentally finished. _Of course I'm to blame. Who else is there?_ "It's hard for me—t-to, well, make a decision."

"Are you talking about what I think you're talking about?"

Crawling out from under the blanket, the braixen sniffed and nodded. "I-If you me-mean Flint, then—"

Pepper cut her off with a snarl. "I knew we shouldn't have said a thing. Pyres just doesn't care about how others' feel nowadays!" Sighing, the shiny ninetales looked at Diana sympathetically. "I really regret roping you into all of this. I should've let Pyres find his own way. Flint would still be in danger, but you wouldn't have to think about it so much."

Irritatedly, Diana picked up her pillow and flung it against the wall. It brushed against the top of Pepper's head and the silver-furred fox let out a warning growl. "No, you don't understand—I'd soon have to face this, _either_ way!" Why didn't Pepper get that? Why was it so hard to understand? "The people of the village would want Flint dead, when they discover him—and I'd have a choice, to betray or protect. I honestly... I honestly didn't think about it! And now—And now I've gotten so snugly close to him—it's _disgusting_—I don't... I can't... I can't _find_ it in me to betray him... I don't—I don't _know_ what's going on—I just—I can't—I _don't_ understand! I... I was so scared of him at first, I even wanted him—I even wanted him out of my life—but now, but now—"

"Hold on a second." Interrupting Diana for the second time, Pepper eyed the braixen cautiously. "You don't get yourself. Calm down, first, or we'll never make _any_ progress. Now, deep breaths—ah, screw that. What do you mean that you can't find it in you to go against him?"

"I don't—_I don't know_, Pepper! I don't know _anything_!"

"Actually, maybe taking deep breaths might have been a good idea..." Pepper muttered under her breath, carefully looking downwards. "Ah." She picked up the pillow and tossed it back to Diana. "Listen, I think I know what you're experiencing. I've known for quite a while, actually, ever since you told me you thought Flint was safe to be around."

"W-What?"

"Do you remember what I asked you?"

"What? When? Asked me what?"

Pepper made an irritated sound. "Deep breaths—_now_!" She let out a light hypnosis, calming Diana's nerves slightly. She heard a sharp intake of breath and heaved a sigh of relief. "I asked you if you've ever been in love."

After a while of recollection, Diana said hesitantly, "...Yeah."

"You told me you've never."

"Yeah."

"So you don't know what it feels like."

"Yeah."

"That's it, Diana," Pepper said, nodding. "I think that's an answer for your confusion."

"_W-What_? You haven't answered anything!"

"Then, think about what I asked you after I did that hypnosis." Standing up, Pepper stretched. "Agh, I'm _not_ a psychiatrist... I don't want to become one, either," she decided, before leaving the room.

After some thought, Diana, horrified, realized what Pepper meant.

This was all her fault.


End file.
